Timeframe: 15th-21st January 2021
Contributors:
Oishee Eerada Maudud, Sabyasachi Karamker, Shanjida Hossain and Farhan Uddin Ahmed.
1. Economics & Business
Suriname may be the next big oil source for companies looking to lower their costs
International oil executives at Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, Total, Apache, to name a few businesses, are gearing up operations off Suriname’s coast in hopes of lowering costs. They hope that the South American country will be the next best source for oil.
Source: The New York Times
2. Politics
Biden takes sweeping Day One executive action
U.S. President Joe Biden signed 15 executive actions shortly after being sworn on Wednesday, undoing policies put in place by his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, and making his first moves on the pandemic and climate change.
Source: Reuters
3. Significant Corona Update
UK government has set a target of inoculating two million people a week by mid-February
10 new mass vaccination centres were also opened in England in order to inoculate the priority groups, including the over-80s and healthcare workers.
Source: The Telegraph
4. Science & Technology
Microsoft bets on GM’s Cruise while Amazon and others back Rivian amid electric vehicle boom
It’s another big day in the EV (electric vehicle) and AV (autonomous vehicle) space. General Motors (GM) announced Tuesday it has entered into a “long-term strategic relationship” with Microsoft (MSFT) focused on GM’s autonomous tech division, Cruise.On the other hand, electric truckmaker Rivian announced it has raised $2.65 billion from an investor group led by asset managers T. Rowe Price, Fidelity, and Amazon, through its Climate Pledge Fund.
Source: Yahoo Finance
5. RMG/ Agriculture
Indian government offers to suspend farm reforms; farmers may call off protests
India’s government on Wednesday offered to suspend implementation of three new farm laws that have triggered the biggest farmers’ protests in years, which farm union leaders said they would now consider calling off.
Source: Reuters
6. Social & Education
English lockdown is helping to relieve pressure on the health system, education minister says
Britain posted a fresh record in daily deaths on Wednesday, figures Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called “appalling”, adding that by reducing infections, the number of deaths should come down too.
Source: Reuters
7. Environment
Biden announces US will rejoin Paris climate accord
Hours after he was sworn in, President Joe Biden announced the US plans to reenter the Paris climate accord in a sign of Biden’s urgency to address the climate crisis. The US abandoned the agreement late last year on former President Donald Trump’s orders.
Source: CNN
Disclaimer: The information provided here is obtained solely from the third parties mentioned above. Youth Policy Forum (YPF) is not responsible for any misinformation or misrepresentation.